Blacklight S3 (R)

[laura]

Emma followed Trista through the house, manoeuvring past the guests and ignoring their inquisitive stares; she knew what they were thinking just by the expressions on their faces.
Poor Trista, having to put up with someone like that.
Oh yes, poor Trista.

Pity for the woman making Emma’s life very difficult – and the one currently leading her out the front door. As they reached the threshold, she slowed, watching Trista closely as she positioned herself on to one of the porch chairs. She waved at the seat beside her, “Sit down.”

With a steady breath, Emma sat, tucking her legs beneath the chair and setting her hands on her lap, preparing herself for the onslaught that was certain to come. Only, for the next thirty seconds no one said a word, the only sound coming from inside the house. Trista sat as still as a statue, her hands cupping at her wine glass, gaze fixated onto the street beyond. For the first time since they’d met, Trista looked at a loss for words.

She sipped her drink before she spoke. “I’d like to apologise.”

“Excuse me?” Emma asked quickly.

“I’ve been inexcusably rude to you from the beginning…and for that, I apologise.” Every word looked like it physically pained her. “Elijah seems so persistent in loving you, despite everything. You’re all he wants…and instead of being happy for him and enjoying his new sense of maturity and commitment to someone other than himself, I’ve tried all I can think of to destroy it.” With the last word, Trista finally shifted her gaze to look at Emma. “I don’t know who you are like he does. Not really.”

“Well…” Emma looked to the floor. “What do you want to know?”

“I suppose this is the best way to restart things,” Trista said, sighing. “Let’s see. You’re from D-94, right?”

Emma nodded.

“Tell me about your parents. Elijah told me that you don’t have any siblings.”

Emma inwardly cringed. Why did she have to start things with parents? That was the no-go subject for her. “Um, that’s a very long and complicated subject, Trista.”
“I have the time if you do.”

*****

Emma’s bare arms and legs were ice cold by the time she and Trista had finished their porch talk, the warmth of the house a welcome embrace. The sooner she got out of the dress and into her jeans and jumper, the better.

Before they parted, Trista nudged her arm. “Thank you for talking with me.”

Emma gave her a reassuring nod, then walked in the direction of the only two voices left in the house. She was hardly surprised to find Randy and Elijah sat together in the living room, watching reruns of some game played earlier that day.

“…they’re playing dirty lately. Did you see that move by McGregor?”
“You can’t blame the whole team because one asshole brings them down.”
“They’re all assholes, son. Just look at that!”

Rubbing at her arms, Emma kicked at Elijah’s leg gently. “I’m gunna go take a shower.”

He sat up, the game forgotten. “Em. Everything okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, she just wanted to talk to me about a few things.”

Elijah stood up. “Like?”

“Nothing bad. Look, I’ll tell you later, okay? I’m – “ The feel of his hot hands touching her ice cold skin made her trail off. It felt like pure heaven, chasing away all the icicles that had formed. Without wanting to stop herself, Emma leant into him, wrapping herself around him and absorbing every ounce of heat his body held.

“Jesus Christ, Em, you’re freezing!”

“Mhmm,” Her words were muffled against his chest. “You’re so warm.”

“Probably wasn’t the best idea,” Randy said. “Having nearly a two hour conversation outside in November. Must have been important.”

“Mmm, she apologised.”

Elijah stiffened. “What?”

“Your mother apologised for being a bitch to me – I didn’t care how cold it was, I wasn’t going to miss that. I have no idea what made her change her mind, but for the first time since I met her, Trista was actually kind of nice to me.” Something had changed in the course of half an hour, between Emma leaving Elijah with his mother and those twins. She’d bet anything that that something was Elijah himself.

[Ange Keating]

Elijah couldn’t help but offer a genuine grin in Emma’s direction, hand resting on the small of her back as he attempted to massage warmth back into her system. His mother had actually apologized, had swallowed her major ego in order to follow through with her son’s wishes. She was making an active effort to accept the fact that Emma wasn’t going anywhere. Elijah made a mental note to thank her later.

“Alright love birds, I’ll get out of your way,” Randy announced, although his voice didn’t hold the same light-heartedness that it had moments ago. Instead he grabbed a tart from the tray, held it as if in a toast, before walking through the corridor and into the living room that was gradually decreasing in activity. Elijah figured that many of the party patrons were beginning to leave before the roads froze over with sheets of frost.

“Seriously?” Even though Elijah didn’t find it hard to believe—his mother tended to put effort into things she believed in, and for the first time since she caught sight of Emma on the hologram over a year ago, she was beginning to believe in the legitimacy of their relationship. “Guess we won’t have to sneak around the bedrooms then?” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully, glancing over his shoulder briefly before gripping onto the redheads waist and hoisting her up onto the counter. Elijah paid little mind to the large possibility of someone walking in on them.

“Well, I didn’t say all that,” she teased, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Surprisingly, I want to stay on her good side. Which means we’ll still have to—” she paused to scratch her nails gently over Elijah’s stubble, the heel of her foot dragging lightly against the back of his leg. Then, using her hands, she pushed firmly enough at Elijah’s chest to cause him to back up, slinking her body off of the counter subsequently “—continue to sneak around.”

Elijah’s lower lip jutted out in protest before it quickly manifested into a tiny smirk. “Sneakin’ around is hot anyways.”
“Will you ever get your mind out of the gutter?” Emma quipped, even though she was fighting back a laugh.

“Not when I’m with you, nah.”

*****


“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” A cornucopia of voices shouted all around him. Elijah’s eyes widened, the harshness of the sun from the open blinds being the first to greet him. Once his vision settled, he noticed a group of people surrounding his bed, specifically comprised of Beth, Rylee, Trista, Randy, and Emma. She held a large cake in a platter, twenty-nine in big numbers projecting from a hologram on the top. It had blue icing and fondant stripes, flames blazing on the top of it. Elijah scrubbed a hand down his face, in attempt to hide the obnoxious grin spreading across his lips.

“Really?” He grumbled, only for Rylee to start clapping out a beat.

“How old are you now?” He chirped, before repeating the phrase, “How old are you noow? How old are you Dear Elijahh, how old are you now?” Beth giggled, fingers twined together.

“It’s on the cake,” Elijah replied with a playful roll of his eyes. Holy hell he was almost thirty. It was somewhat disconcerting to inch closer and closer to middle age, but it wasn’t an age crisis he wanted to directly focus on. Not when Emma was sitting on the side of the bed and offering the cake to him, so that he could blow out the candles.

“Make a wish,” she prompted, eyes warm.

Elijah squeezed her thigh with another soft grin before he was sucking in a breath and blowing out the flames. He wished that the same woman sat next to him would always be by his side for the rest of his days, through easy days and ones plagued with turmoil.

He also wished for a new bike, but that was nowhere near as important.

Finally, he opened them again, and Trista stepped through the crowd with a knife, shaking her head as if she had been coerced into this entire ordeal. “I usually don’t encourage sweets in the morning, especially before breakfast, but I’m sure we can all agree this is a special occasion.” Raking a hand through Elijah’s hair, she placed the same one that was holding the cake knife over her lips. “I can’t believe my little boy is twenty nine years old. It seems like only yesterday I was taking you home from the hospital, cute and red and—”

Elijah groaned.

“Anyways, let’s eat cake, shall we?”

[laura]

“What?” Emma blinked over the rim of her coffee cup. “When did that happen?”

Beth looked sheepishly down at her manicured fingernails. “About a week ago. Look, Em, I wasn’t supposed to tell either of you about this. Landry’s orders.”

“Fuck Landry,” Emma retorted, keeping her voice low so the others couldn’t hear. “So he calls you all up, orders you in and decides to leave us out? That’s bullshit. We’ve been out here for months, waiting on something, anything.”

“He said his reasons were justified. I’m sure he’ll contact you soon.”

Emma’s grip tightened around her mug. What could justify leaving out two of his four remaining agents? Nothing that’s what. They’d both been willing to give their lives to the cause; Emma technically had.
And this was the thanks they got?
Landry was a Grade A asshole.

She glanced through the doorway in to the kitchen, spying Elijah, his parents and Rylee chatting about their plans for the day. Had Rylee told his cousin the truth too?

“Why are you telling me then? If Landry was so persistent that you didn’t…”

Beth tucked her legs up onto the couch. “I’m all for breaking the rules Emma, darling, you know that.”

“And you waited a week to do it?” She couldn’t help the sarcastic quip.

“I didn’t have to tell you, y’know. I also don’t have to tell you that Rylee and I are heading to D-1 in two days.”

Forcing down the mouth full of coffee she’d just taken, Emma coughed, half choking on the hot liquid. “W-What?”

“Maybe he’ll call you and Elijah in when all the dirty work is completed.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emma pushed to her feet, exasperated by the turn in the conversation. “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing? I’m calling him.”

“No!” Beth darted to her feet, hands latching onto Emma’s arms. “Don’t you dare! I wasn’t supposed to tell you, remember? You’ll land me in Shit Street if you call, ranting and swearing at him. That’s not going to make things any better is it?”

She rolled her eyes; no, it wouldn’t, but it would sure as hell make Emma feel a whole lot better. Fisting her hands at her sides, she shook her head at Beth one last time and turned from her – today wasn’t about Landry or work or Beth and ridiculous secrets, it was about Elijah and making his birthday as special as he’d made hers five months prior.

“…is it? He can have a few beers anytime.”

As Emma entered, Randy folded his arms sternly. “I’m taking my boy out, Tris. It’s the first birthday I’ve seen him in years.”

“Well, I have plans for lunch at twelve, then I’m getting him fitted for a new suit. Our son got honoured by the two presidents in that old thing you gave him nearly ten years ago!”

“There’s nothing wrong with that suit.”

“It doesn’t fit him properly, Randy, he has longer legs than you do and wider shoulders. When he gets honoured again – which I know he will – I want him to be in something presentable.”

Emma snuck up to Elijah’s back as the two continued to argue and snaked her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him. Immediately all the anger she felt for Landry deflated, gone like it was never there before.
“During your busy schedule today, do you think you could make a little time for me, perhaps?”

Elijah looked over his shoulder and grinned down at her. "How could I possibly say no to that?"

His hands ghosted over hers. “But where are you going to find the time?” She nodded in the direction of his bickering parents. “They’re playing tug of war with you. I would like to see you before midnight hits.”

Despite her teasing tone, Emma felt the small tinge of jealousy creep up on her again. Elijah wasn’t hers alone, he had a family after all, but sharing him on his birthday was another matter entirely. This was his first birthday with them together; his first birthday in a solid relationship and Emma wanted to make it one to remember.

Elijah glances over at the two older adults before returning his gaze back on Emma. "Why don't we have our own after party tonight? Just the two of us."

A clap sounded a second before Trista’s voice rang out. “Right! It’s arranged then. Lunch with me at twelve, drinks and dinner with Randy at five – “ Rylee cleared his throat. “ – Rylee will come and meet you at eight and perhaps Emma could join you later?”

[Ange Keating]

Elijah was…exhausted. As in, by the time he had finally returned home for the night after a day plagued with activities (lunch with his mother, pool in a dive bar with Rylee, and drinks at a sea side café with his dad), his feet felt like they were bolted to the ground as he padded through the foyer. Nonetheless, he found energy in the thoughts of him and Emma spending the remainder of the night partaking in their own activities, and it was enough to send him bounding up the stairs two at a time in order to get back to his room. Because sleep over intimate time with his girlfriend? The former didn’t even exist.

Elijah finally made it to his door, an all-encompassing grin spreading across his features as he pushed it open (in hopes of witnessing Emma in lingerie she most likely wouldn’t wear on any other day of the year, or nothing—he wasn’t picky), only to be greeted by—

Nothing.

No Emma in offending underwear or even a trace of her presence; just silence, and the sound of rain drizzling gently against the shuttered windows. Elijah’s eyebrows knitted together. Did she forget about their after party? The one they had agreed to earlier that day? There was no reason why Emma would retreat to the guest bedroom his mother had laid out for her though; not after they had gotten so comfortable sharing a bed again.

Almost instantaneously, Elijah’s thoughts were interrupted by arms wrapped around his neck, subsequently followed by legs around his torso. Hands slid over his eyes and a familiar voice, soft in his ear, whispered, “Surprise.” Elijah hummed in approval at her teeth catching onto the lobe of his ear, tugging on it gently.

“Thought you had forgotten,” he quipped, grin widening.

“Wouldn’t me just waiting on a bed with rose petals and champagne be boring? I thought we were more exciting than that,” she teased with a tiny laugh before her body was off of his. Elijah attempted to turn around but she gripped onto his forearms, keeping him faced towards the bed. “Before you turn around, you’ll have to promise me one thing.”

Elijah’s teeth caught on his lower lip, a chuckle escaping. “Oh yeah? What?”

“You won’t laugh. Beth took me out shopping to get this and she thought you’d appreciate something like—“

Elijah contested her grip on his forearms, turning around and—

Holy…shit.

“Emma,” he murmured, most definitely guilty to all charges of gaping incredulously. He knew his girlfriend was attractive, had spent more than enough time ogling at her throughout the entire course of their relationship and before then, but he had never seen her in something like this.

“Do you…like it?” She questioned, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear, eyebrows lifting expectantly.

“Is that even a legitimate question? Christ.” He cupped her cheeks, bringing their lips together and holding her there. “Almost don’t wanna take it off you.”

She let out another snicker before shoving him back onto the bed and straddling him. “But taking it off myself won’t be nearly as fun.” Emma grabbed his wrist, sliding it to the small of her back where the zipper remained.

“I suppose I can’t deny you of your pleasures,” Elijah replied with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows before dragging the metal piece downwards.

*****

“Does your mom barge into your room on the regular?” Emma questioned, nails raking idly down his chest as she curled into him.

“She tries not to, but fails.”

“Good thing we locked the door then,” she murmured.

Elijah snorted quietly with a nod. “She’s protective, but not naïve. Birthday night’s pretty sacred to the Walker’s.”

She shot him a look. “How so?”

“Well my dad got Trisha pregnant on his birthday night so—“

Emma scoffed, lightly tapping him on the chest. “Are you hinting at something?”

“Of course not,” Elijah replied with a laugh. “I’m just saying she understands.”

“Lovely, so now I can just walk into the kitchen with the utmost pride knowing that your mother knows what we did last night.”

Elijah lifted his right arm to squeeze her hand, holding it to his chest. “It’s alright. She’ll probably just bring up the importance of protected sex to everyone, even though it’ll be obvious that she’s referring to us.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Lovely.”

[laura]

Emma rubbed at the star marring her thigh absentmindedly; the dark brown shape was practically the only unnatural mark on her body now. No more scars, no more burns, just freckles and the birth control tattoo that was due to fade in the next two weeks. Thankfully, she had a healthy supply to back it up with.

Elijah yawned beside her, his long body stretching out casually. “What ya up to there, love?”

“Nothing,” She answered, sliding back beneath the covers. “So…did you have a good birthday?”

“The best birthday,” He replied, situating her back into the crook of his body. They’d slept like this all night, the rain pounding at the windows, lulling them into a deep sleep; Emma hadn’t slept so well since they’d left home.

“How was family bonding time?”

"Pretty good. My mom spent about half an hour talking about life and marriage, but other than that, no complaints." As he spoke, Elijah twirled a stray lock of her hair around his finger tips.

“Let me guess? Oh, Eli, please don’t marry that girl – anyone but her!” Emma grinned, fingers drumming against his chest.

Elijah laughed. "Not exactly! She's actually at that weird acceptance that you'll become her daughter-in-law one day. She said that she wants a large part in the creative process of the wedding."

Her head shot up, brows creased. “What the hell? Where is the real Trista and who’s kidnapped her?” The day that woman accepted the idea of Emma becoming an official Walker would be the day hell froze over. It would never happen.
Not that Elijah had any intentions of leading them down that path…hell, Emma wasn’t sure she was the marrying type anyway. The thought of being anything other than a down and out Ward wasn’t something that had ever crossed her mind before.
“What about Rylee? Did he have anything…interesting to say?”

"Outside of him spending most of the time talking about how I used to babysit him and how old I've gotten? Not much," Elijah replied with a wry smile.

Either Rylee hadn’t wanted to ruin Elijah’s birthday with the news, or he was keeping his cousin in the dark. “And nothing else?”

“No…why, should there be something else?”

Emma had no intention of keeping anything from Elijah; especially something like this. “Beth told me they’d all been called in by Landry – everyone but us has been summoned to D-1 for registration or whatever it is. They have orders not to tell us.”

Elijah scrunches up his features before shrugging in response. "So we'll go anyways."

Typical Elijah response. “Well, yeah, that was my thoughts too, but is that all you’ve got to say? Aren’t you pissed off? When Beth told me I nearly punched a hole through your mothers coffee table.”

Elijah pauses, nodding in response. "To be honest? Not as angry as I probably should be. Landry has his reasons for everything, right? We're his biggest assets; he wouldn't just leave us high and dry."

She sat up, dropping her head into her hands. “That’s just what he’s doing. When was the last time we heard from him? Over a month ago? And all he had to say to us was ’blah blah blah, relax and unwind, it’s what you both deserve, blah blah blah’. I’m sick of unwinding now, Elijah. Landry hasn’t even bothered to call and fill us in with what the hell is happening next. D-1, what the hell? Is that where our new home is going to be? What about D-79?”

“D-79 is gone, Em. It’s rubble.”

Emma looked away, trying to swallow back the unexpected lump in her throat. D-79 had been the only home she’d ever known, it was the one and only place that had made her feel accepted, made her more than the girl from D-92.
And now it was gone.

“Yeah, I know.”

[Ange Keating]

Rylee and Beth had departed from the Walker residence at 5 AM on a Monday morning, a day before they were set to leave. Beth had come up with some bullshit excuse about Rylee visiting her parents before they returned to D-1. Of course both Emma and Elijah knew better, nonetheless they played along. By the time Elijah had finished transferring the clothes and belongings into a luggage chip, Emma was stepping back into the bedroom with two glowing envelopes.

“Looks like we’ll be on Shuttle U-10382 to D-1 by noon,” she announced, handing him his voucher. Of course Elijah, naturally, wondered why Landry hadn’t sent for them like Beth and Rylee but he deduced that it was due to the shitty training program that all novice agents had to start early. Invited or not, Elijah could only take a mundane lifestyle in short increments and craved the high risk regime that came with working for the government.

“Yeah? Shouldn’t waste any time getting out of here then.”
Emma nodded. “Couldn’t possibly agree more.”


****

D-1 was the epitome of one of those cities that looked like they had been plucked straight out of an action film. With tall skyscraper buildings, embellished with chrome and shiny metal, and a plethora of cars buzzing through a highway that was suspended more than a thousand yards off the ground, it made for a utopia of technology. Elijah could see why this was the perfect place for the new agency—hell, the strip of newly refurbished teleportation chambers lined against the east wall of the shuttle terminal had instantly charmed him.

“Is this even real?” Elijah mumbled, the duo stepping through a crowd of people, all lining up before the boxes.
“I don’t know…are you sure we’re still in America?”
“According to the voucher, yeah,” he replied, almost incredulously. He was well adept to the gloss of a well developed city, but there was something about this place that seemed light-years ahead of what he was used to. His eyes connected with a guy weaving through the crowd via hover backpack, as if it was the most casual mode of transportation.
“Christ, I wonder what the agency looks like.”
They stepped forward in the queue, a man dressed in a dark blue uniform relishing a handheld gadget by the gates as people pushed their card into the slit before the necessary funds were removed. When it was their turn, Emma handed the stout looking man hers, his lips curled into an almost permanent scowl until he gazed up at the two of them.

Almost instantly, a smile spread across his features.

“Wait a second. You two are—you’re the guys that defeated the Triad right? You’re all over the newspapers!”
Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, that's us. Can you just open the gates? We're kinda in a hurry."
The guard shrugged before depleting the correct funds off her card and allowing them into the chamber.

It was a regular, rectangular box just like the previous models, although this time it contained more buttons and controls, including three speed options (Ultra held risks of inevitable nausea and dizziness—they opted for normal).
The ride wasn’t as long as Elijah had anticipated, it taking them only four minutes to cross the entire town via the transporter, and eventually the doors slip open, leading them into another terminal. This time it was a glass dome, a long strip of velvet guiding pedestrians out onto the asphalt. According to the address, they were less than two minutes away from the new FBI building.

“Ready to start some shit?” Elijah questioned, eyebrows quirking upwards teasingly.
“You have no idea.”

[laura]

D-1 was a metropolitan of lights, technology and culture, dwarfing D-79 in comparison. The streets were alive with music and chatter, holograms walked naturally along sidewalks, only the dimmed flicker of light gave them away for what they were. Hair of all shades topped the heads of the cities citizens – bright greens, reds and oranges – like walking, talking rainbows.
But nothing compared to the building that now housed what was left of the FBI.

Located in the centre of the city, the giant crystal shard stuck out like a diamond in the rough, glimmering so brilliantly that Emma had to stop and stare at it for a moment. Had there ever been a building like this one?

“Something tells me this is the place.” Elijah gaped beside her.

They hurried across the crossing, narrowly avoiding a speeding cyclist when they reached the other side. The young man slammed on his brakes, an inch before away from Emma.
His glasses slid back into his helmet, revealing the look of horror – or surprise, Emma couldn’t decide, perhaps a mix of both.

“Watch it, kid,” She snapped, leaning in. “Hitting me with that thing wouldn’t be good for either of you. Slow down.”

He hastily licked his lips. “I-I’m so so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. Oh shit, seriously, dude, I’m sorry.” He looked quickly at the building before turning back to her. “They said you’d come eventually. I mean, no-one really believed you would…but, woah, Emma Ward, man.”

Elijah smirked and shrugged his shoulders, his face saying ’hello, am I here?’.
Apparently not. Emma grinned back.

“Yeah,” Emma walked on, starting up the marble steps. “I’m here. Just slow down in future, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am!” With a smile glued to his face, the young man spend off. At a slower pace.

As they climbed the dozen steps leading into the courtyard, Emma sniggered. “That was weird.”

“Did you see that? He basically ignored me.” Elijah shook his head. “That’s never happened to me before.”

“Yeah, well, get used to it, big guy,” Emma looked up into his face, trying in vain to hold back her laughter. “There’s a new star in town.”

The courtyard of the building was as grand at the crystal shard itself, with granite and marble walkways, green trees lining its sides and two fountains circled by stone benches. There was a steady flow of people going in and out of the main entrance doors, many of which stopped what they were doing to watch Emma and Elijah step inside.

“Holy shit…” Elijah breathed.

The foyer was vast and wide, hologram screens wallpapered the crystal walls, every square inch of it, each one showing surveillance footage from god knows where – the city, the district, the country? What amazed Emma was how you could still see into the street outside, despite the outside world unable to see anything other than the shinning exterior. Several elevators lined the back wall, two receptionist desks were located on either side and from where the two were stood, you could see right up into the building, spiralling up through the levels.

More holograms appeared then, filling the empty space between the floors.
Emma gasped.
Two images appeared, standing side by side, zooming out from face to full body length, the word ’Victory’ branded in front of them.

Elijah laughed. “Look at that! God, Em, we look damn good together.”

The image zoomed out, Landry forming between them and Victory blurring into Blacklight.

“Blacklight?” Emma read aloud. “What is that all – “

“Greetings and welcome,” A soft voice sounded out of nowhere, a second before a hologram formed in front of them, the face of a smiling woman greeting them. “Miss Ward,” Grey, lifeless eyes flickered from one face to another. “Mr Walker. My files show that an invite has yet to be sent out to you – it is, in fact, scheduled for three days time. I will, however, contact Director Lawson, if you wish me too.”

Director Lawson? Jesus, Landry’s head must be bigger than the building by that little title.

“No,” Emma answered simply, “I would like to see Director Lawson, immediately. So, feel free to tell him we on our way.”

The couple moved through her, despite her objections. “I’m afraid Director Lawson is currently in a meeting and cannot be disturbed.”

Jamming the button on one of the elevators, Emma spun on her heels, pointing at their images still floating idly in the air. “Our faces are projected for the world to see – I think we’ve earned our goddamn right to see Landry. He owes us that much.”

The doors slid open and they stepped into the glass chamber. The woman bowed her head and vanished as the doors closed.

[Ange Keating]

The glass doors slid shut behind them, encapsulating the duo in a glass cage that lifted through the floors. He caught sight of what looked like the IT department, interns tapping away at computers while specialists carried mysterious packages into a testing chamber. Elijah turned towards the red head, arms crossing over his chest.
“What could he possibly be keeping from us? Shit.” In the past, Landry had always made sure to keep his most prized agents at the forefront of everything that occurred within the agency. Choosing Rylee and Beth over them? Two new agents with little to no legitimate experience? It didn’t make any sense—it was slightly maddening the more Elijah dwelled on it.
“Landry always has tricks up his sleeve,” Emma murmured, taking a step towards the translucent buttons hovering against the front panel. However, before she could touch it, the pad disappeared, a monotone voice filling the elevator instead.
You are now approaching the Director’s Floor. Doors opening in 3—
Elijah took a step forward.
2—
“I’m not sure if I’ll like what’s on the other side of the door,” Emma said, although she was following suit, inching towards the doors.
1.
The metal slabs slid apart, revealing what looked like a reception area plagued in stark white metal and embellished with azure blue furniture. It was retro, for Landry at least, and Elijah’s eyebrows lifted upwards.
“Stylish,” he scoffed, only to see that Emma was several paces ahead of him, walking up to the desk with no pause. A man with long red hair, tied back in a bun, widened his eyes at her.

“We’re here to see Landry—mind telling us how to get to his office?”
“I’ll buzz him in and let you two—“
“That won’t be necessary,” she instantly quipped. “We’re here on a surprise visit.”
The man looked like he was about to argue, but for some reason he relented, offering a forced smile instead. “Of course Ms. Ward and—“ he peered over at Elijah “Mr. Walker.” Reaching below the desk, he yanked open a draw and gave them a key card. “This’ll unlock his door. Go down the right hallway and it’s the last door on the left.”
Emma only nodded before grabbing the card and starting towards the corridor. Elijah caught up with her, an incredulous grin spreading across his lips. “Would a please and thank you kill you?”
She rolled her eyes at him, but not without a tinge of a smile. “Manners are the very last thing we should be worrying about. Besides, I got the card didn’t I?” She waved it like a trophy.
“You’ve perfected your death stare excellently.”
Emma opened her mouth to respond, but the door at the end of the hallway instantly unbolted, an old man clad in a pewter gray suit stepping out of the suite.

Landry.

“You two just can’t follow orders, can you?” He said with a shake of his head, even though it wasn’t particularly driven by aggravation. Not waiting for either of them to respond, he gestured towards the room. “I wanted to try my absolute best to protect both of you, until we sorted this situation out, but to hell with it—come inside.”

Elijah and Emma simultaneously exchanged a fleeting stare of confusion, but followed behind the Director nonetheless.

Elijah’s eyes were the first to widen upon entering into the luxury space, a feeling of acute nausea jumbled with bewilderment overwhelming him instead.

“Oh shit, you said he wouldn’t be showing up until Thursday Landry!” The voice exclaimed, and for a second Elijah couldn’t quite connect it with the body. The other man got up, a grin spreading across his features. “It’s been years, Eli, buddy. I missed you. Time to catch up, yeah?”

Remiah.

[laura]

The tall blonde slowly approached Elijah, a white, toothy grin shaping his lips. Everything in his expression told Emma that he knew him – and well, at that.

When Elijah didn’t move or speak to the stranger, she instinctively moved into Elijah’s side, her finger hooking into the loop of his jeans. “And who the hell are you?”

The blonde finally acknowledged her, his blue eyes narrowing.
He opened his mouth to answer, but Landry waved him down. “Emma, how about we go and get a coffee? I have much to show you. These two have a lot of catching up to do.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Emma,” Landry sighed, preparing himself for an argument. “There’s a time and place for this and it isn’t now. Elijah needs privacy.”

“Not from me.”

“Hey, sweet cheeks,” Blondey stepped into Landry’s side, his hand dropping onto the older man’s shoulder. “The men are talking here, k? Hooters is down the street.”

Say, what?
Emma instantly thought back to the first time someone had said that to her, the circumstances nearly identical – in Landry’s office and a first, uncomfortable introduction to the man she now loved above everything else.

Emma stepped toward him.
“Right!” Landry blocked her path quickly. “Beth is on her way, Emma and she’s very eager to see you. Let’s go meet her for that coffee, shall we?”

“I’ll have that coffee…once I put my fist through Pretty Boy’s face.”

Blondey laughed. “Pretty Boy? Oh, darlin’, that’s nice of you. Let me catch up with my boy, then I’ll let you touch me as much as you want.”

Emma opened her mouth, a sarcastic remark on the tip of her tongue, when Elijah’s fingers locked around her wrist, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. I’ll come catch you up soon.”

She looked up into his face and frowned. Elijah wasn’t looking at her; his attention was still firmly set on the stranger. His hold dropped from her arm and next thing Emma knew, she was being ushered from the room by a pushier than usual Landry.

The moment the doors slid shut behind them, his calm demeanour vanished. “What the hell is wrong with you?! What are you both doing here?!”

Emma started off down the hall. “Don’t give me that shit, Landry. You’ve called everyone here but us. We’ve been sat, twiddling our thumbs in the suburbs for the last three months now. We’re done waiting.”

“Why do you find it so difficult to follow orders, hmm?”

“I’m the best at following orders, Landry. When I agree with them at least.” She shrugged. “Anyway, who was that D-Bag back there? Please don’t tell me he’s a recruit.”

Landry called the elevator. “He came here from Europe, so yes, he is a recruit. He and Elijah have history. And before you ask, all he knows is that you’re Elijah’s partner, nothing more.”
Meaning – I didn’t tell him you’re his girlfriend. Why should that have mattered, whether he knew or not?

“Who is he, Landry? I want a name.”

“Remiah,” He answered, his face a mask of stone. “Remiah Fisher.”

[Ange Keating]

“So, what? No ‘I missed you’ hug? Not even a smile? We’re best friends, Elijah. What happened to that?”

Elijah felt like his throat was glued shut, images of the explosions in the Middle East marring his mind. The truck…it had obliterated in a shower of fire and chrome right in front of his eyes, with Remiah in it. Elijah had been sure of it, had received the report of his death and grieved it for many years afterwards. This was impossible, it had to be. Maybe a doppelganger or a hologram or a sick fucking joke from Landry.

Remiah’s eyebrows furrowed together, before he reached for the jug of water on the table, dumping it into a small glass and offering it forward. “You look like you’re going to pass out, mate. Drink this—it’ll hydrate you.”

Elijah didn’t even twitch, in spite of the sudden dryness in his mouth. “You died. I saw you die.” In spite of an active attempt to do so, animosity dripped from every syllable, shrouded with a hint of disbelief.

Remiah’s eyes softened, albeit a tiny snicker escaped his lips. “Tell me, Eli, what did you see?” He twirled the glass of water his hand, as if contemplating to drink it himself, before setting it down once more.

A tongue grazed over his lower lip, heart thumping against his cage fiercely. Elijah knew that he should’ve been happy, should’ve tossed all the inconsistencies and doubts and reunite with the one person he had missed fervently for years—his brother. Still the skepticism made it incredibly hard for Elijah to accept Remiah’s words, and his jaw tightened. Before he could think to stop himself, he instantly closed the gap between them, fingers burying themselves in the other’s cotton shirt, thrusting their bodies together.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but don’t play around with me. Understood?”
Remiah blinked once, and then twice. “You vomited on Carmen Hawkin’s shoes in the eighth grade after you asked her out to the winter ball.”

“What?”

“You have a notebook filled with comics you wrote when you were twelve but thought were too dumb to show to anyone else.”

Elijah’s grip tightened, and he shoved him up against the wall. “Shut the fuck up!”

“You got a hamster for your thirteen birthday but stopped taking care of it once girls started liking you.” Remiah glanced sideways up towards the ceiling in thought. “Oh, you used to wear glasses and have braces and a dorky comb over—”

Elijah raised a curled fist but didn’t bring it towards the other’s face.

“That convincing enough? You told me all those things in the military, Elijah. When we used to stay up in our cots together and talk about everything in hopes that it would make reality disappear. I’m not a hologram or a cyborg or a clone. Your knowledge in technology should tell you that brains and memories can’t be duplicated.”

Elijah’s lip quivered, fingers relaxing. All the excuses he tried to manifest in his head, all the justifications, seemed irrelevant.

“How?” He murmured, barely above a whisper.

“I was going to get on that truck, I had every intention to, but before I could, I heard screams coming from an alleyway. Violence happened all the time in that goddamn city, but for some reason I felt impelled to follow this noise, of a mother and a child.” His expression shifted into a serious one, cerulean irises darkening. “I followed the noise, all the way up until I found the mother and the child, and another man holding them at gunpoint. I never forgot the look in that little boys eyes when our gazes connected, of sheer desperation. I had to save them, and I did. When I returned I saw the fire and the smoke and dozens of soldiers crowding around the damage. I knew that would’ve been me.”

Somewhere in the midst of Remiah’s story Elijah had backed away from him, creating space between them. “Why did you disappear? Without telling me a thing?”

“I wasn’t thinking; I was being selfish. At that moment, seeing all the carnage around me, I had the unadulterated urge to be a free man, cut completely from old ties. I was traumatized and not thinking straight and I ran.”

Elijah wanted to be pissed off, but such an emotion demanded energy he wasn’t willing to give. He tended to his inquisitiveness instead. “Where did you go?”

“I hid out on the countrylands that surrounded the city for a few weeks before meeting a French tourist that offered to take me to Marseilles with her. Naturally I said yes and went. I spent about two years living with her before we decided to part ways. By then I had adopted the French lifestyle and language, buying out my own space in Paris and doing freelance photography for a living. After awhile I decided that I missed the excitement that came in working high-risk jobs and now I’m back. I never stopped missing you though Elijah, I—”

An old recollection hit Elijah, of Sol showing him the picture she had found in the street. Of them. The one they had taken playfully at their airport of their last tour before Remiah’s supposed death.

“What were you doing in D-79? During Hoffman’s reign?”

The question seemed to catch Remiah off guard. Elijah elaborated.

“The picture of us, it was found on the ground. And there was only one copy, and one person that had it. Which was you.”

“I tried looking for you Eli, tried gathering all the information I possible could for us to reunite. With a few searches I found your location to be D-79, so I went there. At the time I couldn’t find you, but that didn’t stop me from searching. Finally we’re together again, and I’d really like for us to catch up, seriousness aside. C’mon, can’t you give me that at least? Some of the Walker charm?” He flashed a toothy grin Elijah’s way, and for some unfounded reason, he felt his guards dissolving.

“Drinks tonight if you’re paying.”

[laura]

Sol drummed her fingers against the glass table top, her gaze flickering across the busy canteen. “So…let me get this straight? The blonde dude –“

“Ken.” Beth interjected, offering a smile with the straw from her milkshake clammed between her lips.

Emma blinked. “Who?”

Sol sighed, “That’s what she calls him – something to do with dolls, I don’t know – anyway, yeah, the blonde dude, he’s Elijah’s dead BFF from his army days? Doesn’t he have the guys tags around his neck?”

“Please don’t tell me neither of you have heard of Barbie and Ken? Every little girl knows who they are!”

Emma dropped her head into the palm of her hand, ignoring Beth’s comment. “I don’t understand this. Landry ushered me out before I could get any information. Did Elijah know? He would have told me if he did. He thought Remiah was dead. The guy got blown up for god sake!”

“Ry told me about that – it really cut Eli up, right?” Beth asked, straw still in her mouth.

She nodded. “It hurt him more than anything else ever has.” Which only made all of this more confusing. Why would Remiah, who was supposed to have been the closest thing Elijah had ever come to a brother, fake his own death and hide away for years?
Wait. Thinking back to the conversations they’d had about him, Emma recalled one thing above all else – Remiah had been married. He’d had a wife, someone who cared and loved him. What about her?

And Jacob.

Emma groaned aloud. Oh, god, Jacob had died in an attempt to avenge him; which meant that not even his brother knew he was, in fact, alive. He’d become obsessed, had killed innocent people and nearly killed Elijah in a crazy mission… and all the while Remiah had been alive and well, living it up in god knows where.
What had it all been for?

Suddenly, a wave of anger washed over her. To think, Elijah could have died, she could have lost him, lost everything before it had begun – all because of a selfish, cowardly man, who had run away from his life and responsibilities.

“I don’t like this,” Emma said then, rubbing the side of her stiff neck awkwardly. “None of it makes sense. He’s been gone for years, Elijah mourned him, the world moved on… why is he back now? Why now?”

Sol slouched back into her seat. “Right after Hoffman’s take down, too. What did Landry say about it?”

“Not much, just that he’s transferred here from Europe. He dumped me on you two before I could get anything else out of him.”

Finally removing the straw from her mouth, Beth said, “Y’know, I thought it was kinda strange how he just sort of showed up out of nowhere, he didn’t talk to anyone either. Though, I do have to say this,” She looked around her suspiciously before continuing, “he is a God, a stallion, a walking, talking beast of a man. Oh, god.”

As the brunette fanned herself, Sol rolled her eyes. “You’re going to make me hurl.”

“Oh, come on, I know he’s not your type but still, even you should appreciate how pretty he is. Back me up here, Em.”

Looking over the railings to the bustling foyer a couple of floors below, the hologram of her and Elijah surfaced once more.
A daunting thought crept up on her. “I’m going to lose him now, aren’t I?”

Beth leaned forward, Remiah’s looks and her milkshake forgotten, her hand slipped over Emma’s. “What? No! What are you talking about?”

When Emma offered no reply, Sol answered for her, her fingers beginning their dance once more along the glassy surface. “Eli’s best friend, his long-lost ‘brother’, has just returned from the dead. How long do you think he’s wished for this to happen? How many people get a second chance at this kind of thing? Emma isn’t the most important person in his life anymore, she’s now the obstacle between them. She’s going to have to contend for his attention. My guess is you won’t be spending too much time with your man in the weeks to come, Emma.”

Beth gasped. “Sol, Jesus Christ! Don’t say that to her! Ignore her, Em, none of that is true.”

Emma pushed up from her seat, her eyes lingering a moment longer on the hologram before she turned away. “Care to show me where you’re all living? Where do I need to go to find out?”

Beth offered her a smile. “I can show you where you are, Em. You and Elijah have been placed in the Penthouse.”

[Ange Keating]

Both Elijah and Remiah exited the office, assimilating into a group of familiar faces. Beth was the first to smile at them, clapping her hands together.

“Hey you two! Got some catching up in?”

Elijah opened his mouth, but Remiah cut him to the chase with a tiny snort. “We caught up just fine—didn’t we, bud?” He placed a palm against Elijah’s shoulder, squeezing the skin there.

Elijah pressed a tongue against the inside of his cheek. “You could say that, sure.” He was nowhere near coming down from his shock, and in spite of himself, a guard still separated them.

“We’re continuing part two of this celebration tonight though. Drinks.”

Beth paused, eyebrows rising. “Oh, really? That sounds fun! Y’know, guys night out and all! Maybe you two can bring Ry along with you sometime.”

Elijah and Remiah shared matching, disapproving faces.

Beth waved her hand passively. “Anyways, I was about to show Emma your penthouse suite.” She beamed excitedly, relishing the holographic key card and waving it.

Remiah made a tiny, incredulous noise. “Hold on, Eli’s sharing a street with sweet cheeks?” He whistled low. “I know she’s hot, but sharing a suite with that Ice Queen? That’s a ridiculously huge commitment just to get into her panties.” He nudged Elijah again, adding, “You could live with me, bro. Just like old times, yeah? It’ll be fu-un.”

Emma’s fingers instantly curled into fists, lunging forward towards Remiah. However, before she could so much as take a stride, both Beth and Sol were restraining her.

“Whoa! Easy!” Beth exclaimed, although her eyes narrowed in Remiah’s direction.

Elijah turned on the other male, lips pressing together. “Cool it with that shit, alright? She isn’t just a fuck.”

He looked more amused than anything, lifting his finger and wagging it between them, as if to sort the puzzle pieces together. “Wait, you two are a thing? You have a girl, Walker? I can’t believe it! Mr. I’ll-Never-Settle-Down, I’ll-be-the-Neo-Hugh-Heffner, We’ll-be-eachother's-wingmans-for-the-rest-of-our-lives, Walker? No fuckin’ way.”

“People change, Remiah,” Elijah retorted, all but through grit teeth.

“I’ll say,” he replied. “I just never thought you’d end up with a chick like her, y’know? I thought you’d be with Sadie—someone who’s less…frigid. Fun-loving. A girly girl.”

“People like Sadie get boring,” Elijah replied easily. “Dating a girl who can hold her own in a wrestling match and keep me on my toes constantly is incredible. I have no regrets.”

Elijah didn’t expect Remiah’s eyes to darken, followed by a crisp laugh that didn’t hold the joviality that had resonated it in before. He shrugged. “If she makes you happy, who am I to judge? I’ll always support you no matter what.”

Several more beats transpired between them, eyes locked together, before Beth was breaking the silence. “Anyways, the penthouse, yes? It’s beautiful!”

[laura]

Stepping into the gym, Emma stopped to survey the area. The sounds of female chatter echoed in the wide open space, bouncing off the crystal clear walls that surrounded the circular room – the gym was located below the living quarters and behind the main building; looking out one side gave them the view of the green courtyard below, while the other was the OBL elevators, constantly rising and falling against the length of the building. When the double doors slid shut behind her, all chatter immediately ceased.

Emma turned to the cluster of women, all of whom were now looking at her, their attention unwavering.

This was her team, her students, her novices, a group of twenty-five women assigned to her. Elijah had been gifted the same, though his group were bigger, thirty-eight males if she recalled (there were more men than women recruits), while Beth, Darrius and Sol had been assigned small groups of ten each. All other trainees or officers were to be trained by professional trainers – only the best and brightest were teamed with one of the agents.

“Morning, Ma’am.” One of them spoke up, an excitable smile etched into her face.

Ma’am? She wasn’t even thirty yet, for god sake. Frowning at the group, Emma walked toward them. “Let’s get one thing straight, no one calls me Ma’am or Miss or whatever the fuck you think you should call me. My name is Emma. Emma. Ward to Director Lawson.” She crossed her arms loosely across her chest. “I’ve been informed that I’m your commanding officer, that you’re to report to me on all things. Though, if one of you call me about how you’re having man trouble or you’ve broken a nail, you won’t like the response.”

The smiles slowly dropped off their faces, one at a time. “Now,” Emma dropped her arms to her sides. “Do any of you have any questions before we get started?”

Hands shot up into the air in unison. Emma chose the closest one to her. “I understand our squad codename is Black Doves. Was that your choice?”

She grimaced. “The hell it was. What kind of ridiculous name codename is that?” Moving briskly on, Emma pointed to another raised arm.

“Is it true you died during the War? By Hoffman himself?”

An eerie silence dropped over the room like a vale; clearly this was one answer they all wanted to hear. “Yes,” She replied casually. “But not by Hoffman, no. It was one of his henchmen -” Who was, in fact, her father, but they didn’t need to know that part, “- I was fatally stabbed in the abdomen. Luckily, I had very quick thinking friends.”

She waved toward another hand. The tall redhead dropped her arm and smiled brazenly. “Are you fucking Elijah Walker?”

Most of the women turned to the questioner, shock and disbelief masking their faces, while others watched Emma expectantly. To them, Elijah was the prize of all prizes – the untouchable on his perch at the top of the pile; it was reasons like this that Landry had wanted the women to stick with Emma, Beth and Sol. Apparently, the same went for the men too, which was why there were only shared between Elijah and Darrius. They couldn’t afford distractions.

“Because…” The woman continued, “If you’re not, then I will!” A burst of girlish giggles erupted from a handful of them. “I’m just happy to hear he likes redheads.”

As the giggles continued to sound out, Emma moved to stand before her, a small smile playing on her lips. She thought she’d come to join in on the joke, her hands landing seductively on her waist. “He won’t know what hit him when he goes for a ride on – “

On her last word, Emma’s hand snapped out, locking around the woman’s wrist and drawing her arm tightly behind her back. A loud yelp of pain quickly killed the rest of the laughter, once again dropping the room into silence. The redhead dropped to her knees. “Lesson one,” Emma spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “My personal life is none of your business. Who I choose to share my bed with is not up for discussion and never will be – if I hear any of you speak of it again, you’ll end up like her.” Another cry sounded out. “We are not here to fuck our way through our male colleagues, we’re here to fight and defend. Do you not understand that you are the best of the best, the ones they’ll call when bad shit goes down? There is better expected from you. I’m not here to waste my time training a bunch of ditzy cheerleaders, who’s only thought is to make it with the captain of the football team. You’re here to stop Hoffman, or anyone like him, from killing innocent people.”

Releasing her hold, the woman dropped to the floor, holding her arm to her chest. “I’m sorry.” She panted.

Emma continued. “I’m not your friend, remember that.”

Three days since they’d arrived at the building and she’d been thrown into the deep end head first. It didn’t help that she had Remiah to deal with too – the guy was an absolute prick, there every damn second of the day. Thanks to him, sleeping with Elijah was the last thing she was doing right now; he took him out front under her every damn time they were together.

“And for the record, Elijah is off bounds. Remember that, too.”

[Ange Keating]

Today marked the first day of training. Elijah’s favorite day. He would be allowed the pleasure of company-mandated terrorizing, and there was no other group better to fuck with than a harem of fiercely competitive men who wanted nothing more than to please him. He entered into the training room, clad in a basic cotton t-shirt and gym shorts, approaching the cluster of agents-in-training.

“I would introduce myself but I’m sure you all know exactly who I am—” he paused, the corner of his lip turning upwards into a grin “—and if you don’t, well, you might as well leave.” Elijah scanned the crowd. “I love having my ego stroked so, by all means, be a complete kiss ass. I won’t penalize you.”

A brunette snickered from the second row, arms crossed over his chest.

Elijah folded his arms behind his back, beginning to pace. “If you’re standing in this room, congratulations, you’re all better than the rest or—” he shrugged “—you’re a hell of a politician. Nonetheless, we’ll figure out today.” Elijah stopped at the center, facing forward. “If you think this will be easy, you’re wrong. By the end of today, I can almost guarantee roughly three-fourths of you will have dropped like flies. It’s hard to be the best.”

“Aren’t you choosing a top five to compete against the women?” Another agent asked from the front line.

Elijah pointed at him, nodding. “Yep. Unfortunately for this one, you can’t sweet talk your way into my good graces. Gotta choose the best of the best to compete against my lady’s team.” They were both sticklers when it came to some friendly competition, the entire foundation of their relationship originally derived from constantly fighting to show the other out. More than a year later and he still felt the same impulsion.

He nodded in response, exchanging fleeting stares with his other competitor.

“Emma Ward?” Another whistled in response. “Nice, man. Real nice.”
This elicited momentary waves of conversation throughout the group of men.

“She’s hot!”
“Heard she could rip someone’s arm clean out of their socket with her bare hands.”
“Sounds like she’d be a fuh-reak in bed.”

Elijah lifted a hand to the crowd, shaking his head with a wry smile. “Dream all you want, gentleman, but if she doesn’t kill you for the unsolicited advances, I most definitely will.”

Everyone quieted, conveying silent understanding. Elijah used to opportunity to amble over to a table behind him, reaching for one of the guns and lifting it. Moving targets in the form of bodies suddenly appeared along the western wall, bullets successfully nailing them in fatal places as they darted towards him from every angle. He heard mumbles of admiration in the background, only further stroking his ego.

Elijah Walker had always been notorious for his excellent sharp shooting skills; he didn’t miss. So if he wanted someone dead, they would be dead.

“This is how it’s gonna work: first round, I’m cutting more than half of you.” He placed the gun back on the tray, stepping away from it. “You miss one and you’re automatically out of the competition. Miss more than that and well—” Elijah clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, head shaking “—leave your badge with the HR Department.” They didn’t have room for agents that were under par, especially when operations wouldn’t be getting any easier in the coming months. He needed a team he could trust to get the job done.

And to beat Emma’s girls. Definitely. Elijah was hell bent on it.

“We’d lose our jobs for missing a target? Making one mistake?”
This question came from an agent in the back, all eyes rerouting to his. There were several beats of silence before Elijah decided to stroll over to him, eyebrows lifted in amusement.

“One mistake can throw off an entire mission. I can stand a lot of things. Matter of fact, most of you probably know me to be a pretty cool boss, right? Super laid back, easy going, can share a drink with every now and again.” Elijah rubbed a hand along his jaw, expression shifting to grave. “But if you dare ruin one of my operations because of your sheer incapabilities, you’ll wish you had gotten cut from the get-go.”

The man flinched, muscles tense.

Elijah patted him on the shoulder, grinning again. “So are we ready to get this party started? Awesome. First one up.”

[laura]

Redhead was the first to go, her confidence shot after her brief encounter with Emma. She’d failed everything she had thrown at her. Emma made a point of sending her notes down to HR at the first opportunity – if the girl crumbled at the first hurdle, what good would she be under real and dangerous circumstances?

Four more girls were dropped from the squad by noon, the number dwindling down to twenty.

It was nearly one in the afternoon when she waved them off for a quick break, a breath of relief escaping more than one of them. The room was emptied in less than a minute, the chatter of female voices echoing down the hall and into the courtyard below; silence followed. Emma sighed and, once she’d retrieved her water bottle, dropped down onto the mat, sliding onto her back, gaze fixated onto the ceiling. She was mid-thought when a small buzz sounded from beside her.

Reaching blindly for her phone, Emma smiled when she saw Elijah’s name flash up on the screen.

‘How goes training, love?’

She immediately sent her reply. ‘Don’t ask. Lost four already. On break now. You?’

'Nine. One guy broke down into full out tears. Wasn't sure whether to feel sorry or embarrassed.'

‘Are you being a hard ass, Mr Walker?’

'Learned from the best, babe.'

She laughed lightly, then typed her next question. ‘What time are you thinking of finishing up?’
Emma wanted to have dinner with her boyfriend tonight, alone.

The answer came fast. '4-ish. Figure I'll know my top five by then.’

She dropped the phone to her forehead. That top five thing! How had she forgotten about that? Emma had become so engrossed with disconnecting the bottom numbers that she hadn’t thought about the top. Elijah, on the other hand, looked as though he was taking it extremely seriously. He wanted to beat her.

‘Still deciding? Already got mine. Too busy making your boys cry, big guy.’ Lies, but he didn’t need to know that. She’d have her five by four, no matter what happened.

'Gotta make sure I choose the right ones. What are you giving me when I win? ; ) '

Her heart beat faster as she read his words. ‘Question is what do I get when I win? I’m thinking dinner, candlelight, rose petals on the bed…a Remiah free night?’

The whoosh of the doors opening cut into the silence, forcing her attention away from her phone. She was about to chastise someone for coming back too soon – because goddamn it, she wasn’t done talking to Elijah yet – only to come up short when she spotted the large body entering the gym. It was then that her heart started to beat for a different kind of reason.

Remiah strolled in, his hands buried into the pockets of his black hoody. There was something about the man that made Emma feel uneasy – it was the way he looked at her, both when Elijah was there and when he wasn’t. She particularly didn’t like the later.

Dropping her phone onto the mat, Emma pushed herself up on to her feet. “Can I help you?”

A slow smile crept to his lips. “Elijah is currently busy, so I thought I’d come and…visit you.”

An unnerving shiver ran down her spine. “I’m busy too.”

“Really?” He looked around, “It doesn’t look like it to me.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “My team are going to be coming back soon and I don’t want you here when they do.”

“So, it’s break time?” A devilish grin spread out across his face. One that reminded her of Elijah, back when they first met. “Then we better act fast. I don’t want my boy to know about this though, okay? For some reason, he actually kinda likes you.”

Confusion seeped into her expression. “Excuse me?”

His blue gaze slid down the length of her body. “You want me.”

She nearly choked on her own tongue. Emma stepped back, placing her hands defensively on her hips. “And where the fuck did you get that idea from?” There had never been anything but uncomfortable uncertainty aimed at him. She’d sooner punch him than kiss him.

Remiah didn’t make a move toward her, but his gaze darkened. “Do you know what I’d do to you, to that perk little body of yours?”

“Elijah – “

“Won’t care.” He finished for her. “You should be grateful for my attention, that I’m willing to share my body with you. You’re not good enough for my boy in the long run. But you’re good enough to fuck. I bet you feel real good, Emma. The ice queen is going to be hot on the inside.”

Emma grounded her teeth together. “If I tell Elijah what you’ve said, he – “

Remiah cut her off once more. “Who do you think he’d believe? His best friend since childhood, or his slut? And if he did believe you, which he won’t, he’ll hate you for it. You can’t win.”

“So, what do you think is going to happen here?” Her temper suddenly flared. She was beginning to get fed up with people telling her how she wasn’t good enough for Elijah. “Do you think I’m going to let you fuck me here, right now? Then go back to my Eli like nothing happened? Oh yeah, my sexual attraction to you is SO STRONG; I can barely contain it.” Emma sneered at the last word. “Fuck off, Remiah. Come anywhere near me again and I’ll cut your dick off and mail it back to you.”

Her phone buzzed and the doors opened, the first girls returning from their lunch. They gaped at Remiah as he turned and stormed out, watching his back as he disappeared. “Who was that?!” One of them asked, fanning herself.

Emma huffed. “I don’t know and I don’t care.”